January County Board Updates

 

The biggest headlines for the Champaign County Board this past month were on approving the purchase of the County Plaza building for additional County office space. The discussion during the County Board meeting itself, even by supporters, warned of the financial risks and work that would come along with the purchase. From the News-Gazette coverage of the approval vote:

On Thursday night, the county board approved the purchase of the downtown Urbana building for $2 million in a 16-5 vote.

After the sale closes, an estimated $18 million worth of work will need to be put into the building before county offices move in, Kloeppel said.

Included in that tentative estimate will be fixing the building’s leaking roof, updating its mechanicals and making accessibility changes along with remodeling for various county departments that will be moving in, she said.

That full article here. There was additional information from earlier News-Gazette coverage on the proposed purchase:

The County Plaza building is about 88,000 square feet and has five stories plus a basement, Kloeppel said. Efforts to buy it were primarily prompted by the need for a new space for the sheriff’s office, currently at 204 E. Main St., she said.

That building, which also houses one of the county’s jails, is deteriorating. The county board has already approved a $20.4 million plan to relocate the jail to the satellite facility at 502 S. Lierman Ave. and build an addition there.

There are other county offices, among them the public defender, which also need room to expand, and the Champaign County Regional Planning Commission has also indicated it needs more room, Kloeppel said.

That full article here. WCIA had a preview blurb on the County Plaza vote here and a follow up blurb after the vote here.

Other County Board news: 

• District 6 County Board member and Garden Hills resident Samantha Carter contributed to the News-Gazettes ongoing conversation on local gun violence.  

More Champaign County Updates on a separate Cheat Sheet post.

Champaign County Updates

 

The possible nighttime white out conditions with the recent severe winter storm forced County crews to halt road clearing operations overnight according to WCIA:

Champaign County Highway Department will cease plow operations from 6 p.m. Wednesday until 6 a.m. Thursday due to the forecasted high winds and white out conditions.

Officials said based on the information that they have received from the National Weather Service, winds will continue to gust at 35 MPH to 40 MPH on Thursday...

Champaign County Highway Department will have plows stationed throughout the county overnight to aid in emergency calls if needed.

Full blurb here.

Petitions for local candidates in the upcoming midterm elections are circulating. It's a good time to help your favorite candidates get on the ballot and get to know who is in the running. From WCIA earlier last month:

Champaign County Clerk Aaron Ammons asks everyone to be prepared for an influx of people — who want to run for office — bringing a petition to their doors.

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Ammons asks all candidates to be masked and bring along hand sanitizer to use in between homes, not just for handwashing but for cleaning pens in between signatures...

The Illinois Primary is set for June 28 this year.

That full article here. 

If you want to learn more about how to be an effective member of a local board and get more involved in your community or a local organization, there is a free "Board Bootcamp" course coming up this month. From Smile Politely:

If you are a new, current, or prospective board member for a nonprofit organization, The Center for Nonprofit Excellence at the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois encourages you to attend their Board Bootcamp, a now quarterly offering that is designed to help create effective boards. 

The first session of the year is on February 23rd from 4 to 5 p.m. and will take place over Zoom. The focus will be on recruiting new board members.

Full blurb here. More information available at the Community Foundation of East Central Illinois website here.

In other Champaign County government news:

• January Champaign County Board Updates Cheat Sheet post.
• See our Cheat Sheet post on the latest updates on the Champaign County Courthouse. Includes updates on the cell phone ban, severe weather closings, and more here.
• Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman spoke to WCIA about initiatives to expand access to mental health care before a situation becomes an issue for law enforcement or the jail.
• The Champaign County Forest Preserve District has a bit of a scavenger hunt available when the weather clears up again. From WCIA.
• What towns and areas are defined as "rural" can have a major impact on where federal dollars go to local government and projects. From Illinois Newsroom.

In other Champaign County news:

• The Champaign County Humane Society raised $17,000 during the Betty White Challenge event according to WCIA.
• Champaign County home sales hit record numbers according to WCIA.
• The Eastern Illinois Foodbank announced a warehouse expansion. From WCIA.
• Update on Miss Champaign County Erica Johnson looking towards the Miss Illinois County Fair Queen competition.  
• A recent Tom's Mailbag question was asking about the Champaign "snow hole" with recent snowfall appearing to miss our area (prior to the severe winter weather warnings this past week).
• That same Tom's Mailbag column addressed fire station needs in Champaign and Urbana. In Champaign they gave an overview of the existing locations meeting current standards, but possibly some expansion issues in the future.
• Champaign County Restaurant Week coverage from WAND. More on restaurant week events and updates with the severe weather at their website here and facebook event page here.

Champaign County Sheriff's Race

 

The 2022 election for Champaign County Sheriff is ramping up as we head into the midterms and local primaries and general election later this year. There has been a great deal of news related to the Champaign County Sheriff's Office in the news lately:

• This month Illinois Newsroom highlighted the CU Citizen Access article on the lack of accountability after years of misconduct by a deputy in the office.
• The County Board approved a plan for new office space for the Sheriff's Office.
• The County Board also recently approved a jail consolidation plan.
• Law enforcement and corrections morale and staffing have been a major issue locally as well as across the country.
• Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman spoke to WCIA about initiatives to expand access to mental health care before a situation becomes an issue for law enforcement or the jail.

Latest Sheriff Candidate Updates:

Former law enforcement officer and current Savoy Village President John Brown may enter the race. From the News-Gazette a couple weeks ago:

More than three decades after his late father left office as Champaign County sheriff, Savoy Village President John Brown has begun circulating petitions to run for sheriff himself.

Brown, a Republican, said Wednesday he’s “99 percent” sure he will run and has already let current Democratic Champaign County Sheriff Dustin Heuerman know, as a courtesy.

The son of the late three-term county Sheriff Joe Brown, John Brown will have served in law enforcement 32 years by the time the election rolls around — with 22 of those years in a supervisory and command role — he said.

That full article with a lot of additional candidate information here.

Greg Worrell is running for Sheriff again as well. The News-Gazette had coverage last week:

A Thomasboro man who is launching his second bid for the Republican nomination for Champaign County sheriff said he will be more accountable to the public than others who have held the position...

Worrell, who has spent most of his life in law enforcement and security jobs, first sought the GOP nomination for sheriff in 2018, losing to former Chief Deputy Allen Jones, who received about three-fourths of the vote.

Jones was defeated in the general election by current Sheriff Dustin Heuerman, a Democrat. Heuerman is seeking re-election.

Worrell said he has never heard of a Champaign County sheriff being willing to meet regularly with the public the way he plans to if elected. He believes the public will be able to hold the sheriff more accountable.

Full article with additional information here.

County Courthouse Updates and Weather Closing

The high likelihood of extreme winter weather over the next couple days has led to closings across the area, including government facilities and even the Champaign County Courthouse. IllinoisNewsroom has a list of area closings and cancellations on their website here. Excerpt from the News-Gazette coverage of the Courthouse closing here:

Heuerman reminded motorists who do get stuck in drifts that their vehicles may not be towed right away.

“It is important that those who do not need to be out stay in,” he said, adding that the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency will be working with first responders to help coordinate response to emergency calls for service.

Presiding Judge Randy Rosenbaum said he alerted judges and their clerks on Tuesday to begin rearranging schedules. Anyone with court hearings for Wednesday or Thursday is advised to stay in touch with their attorneys about rescheduling.

More at the full blurb here. In other recent Courthouse news, the ban on electronic devices at the courthouse is changing. From the News-Gazette earlier in January:

The Illinois Supreme Court has decided to enter the 21st century and allow the general public to bring cellphones and other portable electronic devices into county courthouses.

The high court is leaving the choice up to individual counties. Champaign County has opted to embrace the change, reversing a 10-year-old ban...

Phones will be allowed in Jan. 18, giving the sheriff time to get signs ready and court security officers up to speed on the dos and don’ts of cellphone usage.

That full article here. WCIA had a full overview of the rules going into effect here with a link to Presiding Judge Rosenbaum's order on "Portable Electronic Devices (PEDs)" here. 

WCIA also had a comparison to other County courthouse rules under the changes here.

The Circuit Clerk's information on visiting the Courthouse still has the prohibition listed, however (as of February 2nd):

Prohibited Items

By order of the Champaign County Sheriff, the following items cannot be brought into the Courthouse:

• Electronic devices of any kind (cell phones, tablets, laptops, smart watches, eReaders)

That information appears to be out of date, but is available on the Circuit Clerk website here.

In other Champaign Courthouse news:

• The News-Gazette had information on the local Abraham Lincoln history exhibit at the courthouse and other Lincoln history points of interest locally.